Chrysanthemum's Graph! 

Read the book Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes, to the class. Talk about the main character's name and how her parents made the decision to name her. Discuss with the children, if they know, how they received their names (e.g., it was a family name, their parents liked the name). Discuss the length of Chrysanthemum's name. How many letters are in each of your students' names? Give each child a piece of large block graph paper or have them draw boxes to show the number of letters in their names. Take the data and transfer it to a class "Number of Letters in Our Names" graph. Teachers should include their names too! 

Eileen Hayes, Comprehensive Grammar School; Methuen, Massachuestts